Posted!

Join the Conversation

Comments

Welcome to our new and improved comments, which are for subscribers only.
This is a test to see whether we can improve the experience for you.
You do not need a Facebook profile to participate.

You will need to register before adding a comment.
Typed comments will be lost if you are not logged in.

Please be polite.
It's OK to disagree with someone's ideas, but personal attacks, insults, threats, hate speech, advocating violence and other violations can result in a ban.
If you see comments in violation of our community guidelines, please report them.

Historic East Price Hill, Cincinnati buildings on short list for register

The Masonic Temple Price Hill Lodge in East Price Hill and the Tri-State Building, also known as the Traction Building, in Cincinnati are in the running for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.

Th Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board recently recommended eight buildings for consideration. The recommendations are forwarded to the Keeper of the National Register who directs the program for the U.S. Department of the Interior.

If approved, the buildings will be added to the national register. A decision is expected as early as the end of June.

Founded in 1882, the East Price Hill Lodge No. 524, 3301 Price Ave., grew to become the neighborhood’s largest fraternal organization, according to Ohio History Connection. Completed in 1912, the four-story Second Renaissance Revival-style building was designed by Cincinnati architect Samuel Hannaford & Sons and served as home of the Price Hill Lodge No. 524 until 1989, when it merged with North Bend Lodge No. 346.

Built in 1903, the Tri-State Building (Traction Co. Building), 432 Walnut St., is an early skyscraper in Cincinnati’s financial district. It was nominated to the National Register for its local architectural significance as an example of the work of Chicago architect Daniel Burnham, according to Ohio History Connection.

The Tri-State Building, also known as the Traction Building, in Cincinnati is in the running for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.(Photo: The Enquirer/Sheila Vilvens)

The Tri-State Building, also known as the Traction Building, in Cincinnati is in the running for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.(Photo: The Enquirer/Sheila Vilvens)

Burnham is best known for his neoclassical “White City” at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, which widely influenced urban design and planning in the early 20th century and established his reputation as a leading architect of the time.

The building served as headquarters of the Cincinnati Traction Co., founded in 1901, which owned and maintained the city’s streetcar tracks. The 15-story, steel-frame building with neoclassical details features the allusion to a classical column that characterizes many early skyscrapers, with a three-story granite base, nine-story shaft of red brick, and two-story cream-colored terra cotta ‘capital.’

Current owners, The Parkes Cos., want to redevelop the Traction Building for a mixed-use project of apartments and commercial space.